Method of making axles



(No Model.)

A. PATERSON.

METHOD OF MAKING AXLES.

Patented Apr. 23, 1889.

Inventor Witnesses Attorney T UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

' ANDREW PATERSON, OF MCKEESPORT, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE NATIONALTUBE WORKS COMPANY, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

METHOD OF MAKING AXLES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 402,102, dated April23, 1889.

Application filed January 30, 1889. Serial No. 298,057. (No model.)

To 60% whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, ANDREW PATERSON, of-

, the end nipples, and the taper of the spindles is produced by simplyturning the tubes in a lathe or similar machine, whereby the spindlesare tapered and the metal of the spindles made thinner at their smallerends, the internal diameter of the axle being uniform, notwithstandingthe external taper of the spindles. By the other plan of operations theends of the tube are swaged down to form the tapers, thus. giving ataper to the interior of the spindles as well as to the exterior.

My improvements in the art relate to work upon the axle after'thespindles are tapered by eitherof the processes indicated. However, informing the spindle-taper entirely by either of the processes indicatedgreat accu racy is required in turning or swaging the spindle to securea taper absolutely uniform throughout a given line of product. Myimprovements render extreme accuracy of this tapering less essential, asI s'uperpose upon the ordinary tapering processes a process whichproduces a uniformity of taper.

I take a tnbularaxle, minus the collars, and after its spindles havebeen tapered the axle is to be somewhat longer than the ultimatefinished length, in order to allow sufficient surplus metal to be upsetto form the axlecollars. I heat both ends of the axle at and about thecollar-points and so much of the spindle portions as may be necessary. Iheat the metal uniformly and suffici ently high, but avoid such highheats as will produce damaging scaling of the metal. I then grasp thebody of the axle tightly in two chucks, which closely fit the body ofthe axle, and grasp it at the two points represented by the rear of thecollars to be produced. I then place upon each of the taper spindles adie having a diecavity representing the form of the taper spindle as itis to be finished, and I arrange the axes of these die-cavities obliqueto the axis of the body of the axle to that extent called for by the setdesired in the finished axle. I then forcibly urge the two dies towardthe chucks in a path of motion parallel to the axis of the body of theaxle, and continue this motion of the dies toward the chucks until thespindles have been forced into and take the shape and oblique set of thedie-cavities, and until the surplus metal between the dies and chuckshas been upset to form the axlecollars. The result is an axle havingintegrally-formed collars accurately spaced, and having spindle-tapersaccurately conforming to the die-cavities, and having a setto thespindles accurately corresponding to the degree of obliquity given tothe die-cavities.

If the taper preliminarily given to the spindles represents the taperultimately desired, such taper would of course be unaffected by theaction of the dies, and in such cases the heating of the axles may beconfined as nearly as practicable to that part of the metal which is toform the collars.

For the purpose of exemplification, I supply herewith a drawing, inwhich Figure 1 is a side elevation and part vertical longitudinalsection of an axle ready to be operated upon in accordance with myimprovements; Fig. 2, a similar view of the axle after being so operatedupon; Fig. 3, a side elevation and part longitudinal vertical section ofa press for grasping the axles and forcing the spindle-dies upon them;Fig. 4, a vertical transverse section of the same; Fig. 5, a rearelevation of that portion of the machinery employed in heating theaxles, and Fig. 6 an end view of the complete machine.

In the drawings, Fig. 1, A indicates the tubular cylindrical body of theaxle; B, Fig. 1, the preliminarily tapered spindles of the axle, the twospindles being farther apart than in the ultimate finished axle by adegree represented by the amount of metal required to be upset to formthe collars of the axle, these spindles having their axes in a commonline; C, Fig. 2, the spindles after the execution of my improved method,these spindles being the proper distance apart, as called for in thefinished product, and having their axes sufficiently oblique to eachother and to the axis of the body of the axle to bring the bottoms ofthe two spindles into a common horizontal plane; D, the usual nipplesfor the axle-nuts or other wheel-keepers; E, the usual bushings to formoil-chambers; F, Fig. 2, the collars formed upon the axle at juncturesof spindles and body by upset-ting the metal at their points oflocation; G, those portions of the axle at and about the points oflocation of the collars; H, a horizontal press-bed; J, a pair ofhydraulic press-cylinders, one fitted to slide upon each end of the bed;K, a screw mounted in the bed and furnishing a means by which the twopress-cylinders may be given a movement of approach and recession; L,the pistons of the cylinders, one only appearing; M, dies fitting thecylinders in advance of the pistons and having die-cavities conformingprecisely to the spindle shape desired upon the axle, these die-cavitiesbeing set obliquely to the general axis of the press to the degreecalled for by the desired set of the axle; N, a pair of chucksadjustable upon the body between the cylinders; O,die-blocks separablysecured in the chuck-jaws and adapted to grasp and accurately fit thebody of the axle; P, counterbores in the taper faces of these die-blocksconforming in dimension and shape to the collars desired upon the axles;Q, a distancepiece supported by the bed between the two chucks, andengaging the chucks and serving to limit the approach of the chucks toeach other to such a distance that the out-toout measurement of thedie-blocks will correspond with the out-to-out measurement of thecollars on the desired axle; R, the pipe system for supplying thepress-cylinders; S, a pair of gas-heaters; T, a gas-pipe extending fromheater to heater and adapted to be connected with a source ofgas-supply; U, a longitudinal row of vertical jet-pipes at each heateron the pipe T; V, a set of intermemhering rolls at each heater,arrangedto support an axle in such position that the ends of the axle protrudingbeyond the rolls will be vertically over the rows of gas-jets; W, apulley for giving motion to one of the rolls; and X, a track or table atthe common level of the rolls and the tops of the chucks, extending fromone to the other.

The operation is as follows: Select dieblocks, dies, and adistance-piece suited to the axle in hand and apply them to the press inthe obvious manner, open the chuckjaws, operate the screw to separatethe press-cylinders so that the axle will drop freely between the diesinto the chucks. Place an axle 011 the rolls and apply beltpower to thepulley, thus rotating one of the rolls and causing the axle to rotatewith its protruding ends over the gas-jets, heat sufficiently withoutscaling, roll the axle out of the rolls onto the track or table X, andover to the press and into the press, operate the screw and approach thecylinders until the dies have properly engaged the ends of the axle andthe spindles fill the die-cavities and take their shape and obliquity,stop the screw and firmly tighten the chucks, apply the pressure to thecylinders and force the dies toward the chucks until the surplus metalbetween the dies and chucks is upset in the counterbores of thedie-blocks, turn the screw to retract the cylinders to initial position,open the chucks and remove the axle, and proceed as before.

I claim as my invention That improvement in the art of axle-making whichconsists of the following steps, viz: forming the axle preliminarilywith a surplus of length between the spindles, heating thepreliminarily-formed axle at the necessary points, grasping the body ofthe axle at two points corresponding with the rear of the collars,grasping the entire spindle portions, and forcing the spindle portionstoward the body portion, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

ANDREW PATERSON.

Vitnesses:

T. R. FIELD, H. W. GRAY.

